


The Wooing of One Evan "Buck" Buckley

by Princessfbi



Category: 9-1-1 (TV)
Genre: 5+1 Things, Caring Eddie Diaz (9-1-1 TV), Eddie Diaz Loves Evan "Buck" Buckley, Eddie Diaz Takes Care of Evan "Buck" Buckley, Eddie Diaz will Woo Evan "Buck" Buckley, Evan "Buck" Buckley Loves Eddie Diaz, F/F, F/M, Flowers, Fluff, Insecure Evan "Buck" Buckley, Love Language, M/M, Soft Eddie Diaz (9-1-1 TV), Soft Evan "Buck" Buckley, Soft Evan "Buck" Buckley/Eddie Diaz, Valentine's Day
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-15
Updated: 2021-02-15
Packaged: 2021-03-16 10:49:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,086
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29452593
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Princessfbi/pseuds/Princessfbi
Summary: “I know I know,” Eddie said as he rubbed his palms up and down Buck’s chest a little. “You hate Valentine’s Day and you mean more to me every second of every day but this is for me. Let me have my fun and you just sit back and enjoy.”“Fun?” Buck asked, a little skeptical still.Eddie’s grin turned sharp as his lips arched into a smirk, a smirk that always managed to make Buck's insides turn liquid and boneless, and his eyebrows bounced high into his hairline.“Oh yeah,” he said, putting a little more pressure into his fingers as he dragged them along Buck’s collarbone. “I plan on wooing the hell out of you.”ORFive times Eddie wooed Buck and One time he didn't have to try.
Relationships: Athena Grant/Bobby Nash, Evan "Buck" Buckley/Eddie Diaz (9-1-1 TV), Henrietta "Hen" Wilson/Karen Wilson, Maddie Buckley/Howie "Chimney" Han
Comments: 21
Kudos: 439





	The Wooing of One Evan "Buck" Buckley

Needless to say that choking on a piece of bread and then nearly dying on a restaurant floor only to wake up with people staring at you in horror as you breathe through a pen in your throat did not help assuage Buck’s case that Valentine’s Day was the worst holiday of the year. He still stood by his stance that Valentine’s Day was nothing more than a waste of time and money that could’ve been spent on any given day of the week. You shouldn’t be pressured into giving the best, most groundbreaking sweeping grand gestures you could afford--- and sometimes not afford--- just to tell someone you love them. It was too much and it was cruel to the others who didn’t have someone who wanted to sweep them off their feet and proclaim to the world just how special they were to them. Love shouldn’t run on a schedule. It should be available 24/7. Why would anyone want to be reminded that that wasn’t necessarily the case for everyone?

Buck had been in both categories and he could say from experience that both sucked and the disappointment was the same, stemmed down into the one deep rooted insecurity that he wasn’t sure he’d ever truly uproot: that he, Evan Buckley, was never good enough.

So, yeah, Buck still hated Valentine’s Day.

Eddie, on the other hand, _loved_ Valentine’s Day. Solid, stable, unflappable Eddie Diaz with his level headedness and security in the comfortable contentment went dopey over the cheesy commercials and the heart shaped cookies and everything that was campy and ridiculous about the holiday. He always got Abuela and Pepa flowers delivered and made a point to touch every soft and shimmery thing he saw in the store. He’d bite his lip and smile through whatever romantic awkward situation they’d found themselves in on a call from a gesture gone wrong and would even go so far as to ‘aww’ whenever he witnessed a public proposal.

So, when Eddie heard about Buck’s deliberate disinterest in Valentine’s Day, he respected Buck’s decision… and then promptly got to work on trying to change his mind. 

* * *

**1.**

Now, the excuse to be woken up by feather soft kisses was definitely something Buck could get behind, Valentine’s Day or not.

He groaned as Eddie continued to coax him from sleep, his body pressed against Buck’s back as he slung a leg over his hip. Eddie continued to pepper Buck’s face with kiss after kiss until Buck rolled over onto his back and found his lips. Eddie met his roll with one of his own and straddled Buck without breaking their slow, languid kiss. Strong, warm hands cradled Buck’s head until he was arching to chase after Eddie when he finally broke away with a grin.

“Good morning,” Eddie murmured before he leaned down and gave Buck another peck for his efforts. “Happy Valentine’s Day.”

Buck groaned again because Eddie had said it was fine if they didn’t do anything for Valentine’s Day.

The heavy weight of the sudden pressure to come up with something worthy of Eddie’s affection settled on Buck’s chest because Eddie loved Valentine’s Day but told Buck not to worry about it and if Eddie was planning something then _Buck_ needed to plan something and he wouldn’t have time before his shift and---

Buck forced himself to breathe and Eddie gave him the space he needed to get his head on straight again; to work out what he was feeling and vocalize those feelings into words.

“You said we didn’t---” Buck bit his lip because it was still hard to admit to something that he knew would upset someone but Eddie just pulled his lip from his teeth with a drag of his thumb and smiled at him.

He was really was stupidly handsome even when his hair was rumpled with sleep and his jaw was stubbled with a heavy shadow.

Eddie leaned down and kissed him again, sweet and slow and perfect to sooth down the anxiety thrumming in Buck’s heart.

“I know I know,” Eddie said as he rubbed his palms up and down Buck’s chest a little. “You hate Valentine’s Day and you mean more to me every second of every day but this is for me. Let me have my fun and you just sit back and enjoy.”

“Fun?” Buck asked, a little skeptical still.

Eddie’s grin turned sharp as his lips arched into a smirk, a smirk that always managed to make Buck's insides turn liquid and boneless, and his eyebrows bounced high into his hairline.

“Oh yeah,” he said, putting a little more pressure into his fingers as he dragged them along Buck’s collarbone. “I plan on wooing the hell out of you.”

The heat of Eddie’s gaze sent tingling jolts of electricity all the way down to Buck’s toes and suddenly, Buck was _very_ awake. He nodded and that was all Eddie needed before the temperature in the air turned into thick, hot honey that made Buck’s throat dry up with desire. Eddie’s coiled muscles stretched as he pounced on Buck and pinned him to the mattress. His hands were firm and grounding with the clear command in their grip but Buck would’ve been frozen under the heat of his gaze alone. Eddie leaned down, dragging his lips over Buck’s with barely a space between them to share air but not close enough for a kiss.

“Don’t move,” Eddie said, his eyes hooded and dark with a wicked lust that purred behind his almost all consuming black pupils.

Don’t move. Buck could do that. He’d walk into the center of the sun if Eddie asked him to.

“Don’t move,” Eddie repeated, softer now. “I’m going to worship you.”

The temptation to kiss surged and Eddie pushed a deep, filthy one against Buck’s lips before he dragged his tongue along the seam of his mouth and nipped at swelling skin. The sting of Eddie’s teeth against his abused skin made Buck’s breath hitch somewhere high in the back of his throat.

“Then I’m going to wreck you.”

Buck shuddered as the heat in his stomach surged down every inch of his body and Eddie’s mouth sucked the warmth out of his skin and replaced it with his own. Then in some complex maneuvering that Buck’s brain was too muddled by lust and want to really follow, Eddie’s hold moved with one hand to his hair as he wretched Buck’s head to the side. All the air in his lungs punched out of Buck as Eddie bared his neck, leaving him dizzy and breathless. 

He squirmed, seeking anything that could ease the static under his skin and Eddie pulled his hair a little harder.

“I said,” Eddie said before he dragged his tongue in a scolding trail up Buck’s neck to the space below his ear. “Don’t move. Nod if you understand.”

Buck nodded so fast it was a miracle he didn’t clip Eddie with his chin. Buck curled his hand around his own wrist and held on for dear life.

Eddie’s chuckle was so hot on Buck’s skin that his flush was almost cold.

“Good boy,” Eddie murmured and Buck didn’t have the brain capacity to marvel at the reaction hearing _that_ brought on.

Eddie kissed Buck once and then went to work on fulfilling his promises.

* * *

**2.**

Buck certainly wasn’t _trying_ to be a downer about Valentine’s Day. By all accounts, his morning had already been the best Valentine’s Day he’d ever had. Up until he realized he’d forgotten his boots at his loft and had to run back to his place with a limp in his step and the stress of trying to get to his place and get to work on time, sharpening the soft floating feeling he’d had when Eddie took him apart and put him back together piece by piece.

But traffic in Los Angeles was just as terrible on Valentine’s Day as it was every other morning when there was somewhere you needed to be. Buck ended up a few minutes late to his shift and kicking himself even when Bobby told him it was fine and gave him a slap on the shoulder. Bobby was good humored most days and Valentine’s Day only seemed to add to that good mood but Buck still hated being late. It sent him twisting himself into knots with anxiety and stress and kept him up some nights as he over analyzed every expression, every inflexion of tone, and every thundering second where he was trapped in an entirely preventable situation. Thankfully, they had a sweet spot as they swapped out shifts where they were offline to refuel and restock so Buck didn’t miss any calls.

But, worst of all, Buck missed breakfast. What was left of the eggs had gone cold and watery and all that was left of the toast and jam were smears and crumbs. Buck inhaled a granola bar and guzzled a cup of coffee before he hurried downstairs to report for his chores.

“Oh,” Chim said when he caught sight of Buck. “The Valentine’s Grinch is here.”

Buck rolled his eyes and saddled up at the back of the ambulance to help him restock. Hen and Eddie were both coming in late to attend the school Valentine’s Day festivities that they’d been reminiscing about for weeks.

Christopher took after Eddie in many ways. He was stubborn and brave and wickedly funny and Buck was learning that the love for Valentine’s Day was genetic.

“You don’t even like Valentine’s Day, Chim.” Buck pointed out when Chim shot him a grin.

“Yeah, but your sister does,” Chim said with a roll of his gum between his teeth. “And I don’t know if you know this but I’m a little taken with her so…”

Buck tossed a box of gauze at Chim’s head. “You don’t say.”

“What’s got you all out of shape, Buckaroo?” Chim asked when he heard the lingering tremble of tension in Buck’s voice.

“Just…” Buck stopped and wished, not for the first time, that he could go back to being woken up by kisses from his boyfriend. “Had a great morning and then bad one.”

“Hey, don’t beat yourself up. We’ve all been late.”

Tiny, nasty voices filled in the empty space between Chim’s reassurance and Buck’s response. He swallowed them back down and practiced trying to believe what Chim was saying instead of assuming the worst.

He wasn’t going to be fired.

No one was mad.

It wasn’t a big deal.

It was a conscious correction and he felt a little better after he worked through the worst of the storm of insecurity. Chim smiled at him and popped his gum.

“You did miss a pretty great breakfast, though.”

“Which is why,” Eddie’s voice swooped into Buck’s ear like melody he’d forgotten. “His valentine is coming to the rescue.”

A large, foil wrapped burrito with a heart drawn in red sharpie filled Buck’s vision as Eddie sidled beside him and planted a kiss on his cheek. The smell of bacon, cheese, and green peppers drifted to the back of Buck’s throat and made his mouth water in an instant.

“Is this part of your wooing?” Buck asked as he took the burrito and turned for a proper kiss.

Eddie shrugged and gave him a wink before he disappeared into the locker room to change.

* * *

**3.**

“Order for Evan Buckley?”

Buck frowned as his name was called through the rafters of the station. Given how bad things went for many people on Valentine’s Day, it’d been a relatively uneventful shift so far. They’d been called to a few grand gestures gone wrong where someone ended up stuck trying to fish a ring out of storm drain or had an allergic reaction to the cherry flavored edible underwear. They'd even been called to an epic break up between a couple where the man had tried to get back into his ex-girlfriend’s apartment through the laundry chute and got stuck. Overall, nothing too terrible and the best part had been watching Eddie having an absolute blast.

The dopey feelings must have been contagious because everyone seemed to be running on a different channel all shift. Hen had laughed so hard that she cried when Karen’s gift of a singing telegram--- a guy dressed as a scary looking bear that made Chim scream-- came stomping into the station. Bobby and Athena had split away for their own private lunch, lost in each other’s gaze. Even Chim was floating on a high after Maddie visited him dressed in a cute maternity shirt that had a “Delivery Delayed 9 Months” with a bunch of hearts stamped along the fabric.

And Buck had been happy. He always was when his friends were happy. Buck knew he had a habit of absorbing the emotions of those around him--- something that Bobby insisted was an asset and Dr. Copeland assured him was normal--- but it was exhausting sometimes.

He was happy everyone was happy but he couldn’t help feel like he was caught on the outside looking in. He just didn’t get it. He didn’t understand the fevered spread.

Granted, he didn’t really have a lot of experience. Abby had been his first serious partner he’d been willing to put himself out there and spend Valentine’s Day with and that had ended in disaster.

“Evan Buckley?”

Buck walked over to the balcony to see who was calling him and felt an immediate blush set fire across his skin. The others were standing around and staring with wide grins on their faces as they watched Buck nearly melt to the floor because standing in the middle of the bay was a haggard delivery driver holding a beautiful, wild bouquet of flowers.

Now, if there was one thing Buck could get behind on Valentine’s Day, it was flowers. He loved flowers. Maybe it was because he never got them before except for when Maddie would give him one from her gifted bouquets over the year. One time she’d taken a single rose from her bouquet her prom date had gotten her--- much to her date’s annoyance—and Buck had kept it in a glass on the windowsill of his bedroom for days.

He _loved_ flowers.

And Eddie knew that.

Buck’s knees felt weak beneath him as he stumbled down the stairs to receive his gift. He ignored the whistles and teasing from his team as he mumbled his thanks to the delivery guy as he took the flowers in his arms and okay... maybe he was swooning a little.

None of them matched and they perfect. Yellow roses with red edges blossomed through a handful of hydrangeas and white daisies and sprigs of silver dollar eucalyptus and pink snapdragons. The smell was intoxicating and combined with the fact that he was probably bright red from head to toe, Buck couldn’t really drag himself out of his stunned surprise.

He’d never had someone send him flowers before and it was… It was everything.

Buck tore his gaze away from the soft petals and bright colors and zeroed in on Eddie leaning against the fire pole. Eddie, who was beyond smug but also a little hesitant as he gauged Buck’s reaction like he didn’t know that getting something like this would mean the world to him.

Well, Buck was going to have to fix that.

Buck crossed the space between them in four confident strides and grabbed Eddie by the front of his uniform before pulling him in for a searing kiss.

A wolf whistle pierced through the air but Buck didn’t care because everyone had been able to ride on the euphoria all day and Buck was _finally_ on the ride with them.

“Keep it clean, boys!” Hen cackled as Eddie swayed into the force of Buck’s kiss with him.

Buck just held the bouquet up to cover their faces. 

* * *

**4.**

Buck trusted Eddie with his life.

He loved Eddie.

He would do anything for Eddie.

That being said, he didn’t really understand why Eddie was dragging him away from the very delicious smelling dinner that Bobby had cooked to go to the roof. A delicious smelling dinner Buck had been mouthwatering over all day because it’d been tended to and loved in the slow cooker.

“Babe,” Buck said as Eddie led him by the hand up the stairs to the roof access. “I’ve been wooed. I promise. But I’m hungry---”

Eddie shut him up with a quick kiss that would’ve promised something much longer than a peck if they weren’t at work.

And Buck didn’t really know what else Eddie could have possibly planned. He’d been worshiped and then wrecked and then rescued and then surprised. He was wooed. This was… It was all starting to get a little too much and Buck was starting to feel a little empty handed.

He should’ve done something. He should’ve at least gotten Eddie a gift. Maybe he could sneak something after their shift. He’d promised to take the first three hours of third shift for Avery so he could propose to his girlfriend so there would be a little wiggle room where he could find a store that---

Eddie turned and boxed him in against the wall of the stairwell with a serious look.

“I can hear you thinking,” Eddie said with a tap against Buck’s jaw. “Stop.”

Buck rolled his lip between his teeth and shifted his feet. “Eddie, you’ve done---”

“I want to.”

But Buck shook his head.

“It’s too much.”

Eddie’s hand dropped into the arch of Buck’s neck and strong capable fingers held up Buck’s head as Eddie leaned in to meet his gaze. A tender thumb brushed along the line of his cheekbone and Buck turned into the warmth of his palm.

“If I could give you the world, Buck, I would drop it at your feet in a heartbeat.”

And he meant it. Buck knew he meant it because Eddie never said anything he didn’t believe. But the ugly, horrible voices that said Buck wasn’t good enough, didn’t deserve this much effort, hadn’t earned such devotion were licking at his heels and dragging him under.

Or, at least, trying to.

Eddie wouldn’t let them, though.

Eddie was fighting them. 

His hands were sturdy and strong and held Buck like he was a flower caught at the peak of its bloom and made of the softest petals imaginable.

Eddie held his gaze for a moment before he leaned in again and kissed Buck until all the doubt was snuffed out.

“Now,” Eddie said when he deemed Buck thoroughly kiss drunk. “Stop interrupting my wooing.”

Which wass how Buck found himself eating his dinner pressed against Eddie’s chest on a picnic blanket under a sea of string lights that must have taken an hour to hang. 

* * *

**5.**

Buck was exhausted by the time Avery showed up to relieve him. Don’t get him wrong, he loved his job and the crew on third shift were great but they weren’t his team and watching Eddie leave was hard.

Especially since he knew that his kiss goodbye would be the last kiss on what had been a surprisingly great Valentine’s Day. But Eddie was going back home and Buck, not wanting to wake him, was going back to his loft.

Bobby had managed to find a vase to keep Buck’s flowers in and had stuffed some tissue paper in a box so he didn’t have to worry about anything spilling on his way back home. Buck dropped his nose to a rose and inhaled, sighing a little as the sweet perfume filled his lungs.

They were beautiful and he loved them. Buck knew he was easy to please but he didn’t care. They were imperfectly perfect.

Buck sighed as he reached for his bag in his locker and startled when a small red envelope fell to his feet. He bent down and snatched the envelope in his hand. 

‘Buck’ was written on the front in Eddie’s scrawling handwriting.

Buck was too tired to tell if he was smiling but he was pretty sure from the stretch in his cheeks that he was. He opened the envelope with a drag of his finger along the top seam and snorted at the cartoon drawn on the front with the words:

YOU THE HOE HOE TO MY DING DONG

It was the kind of cheesy that would have had Buck giggling like an idiot in the grocery store while Eddie rolled his eyes and it was everything.

Buck opened the card, expecting to find another funny pun, and instead, found a page filled with more of Eddie’s handwriting.

_Buck_

_I told you this morning that I was planning to woo the hell out of you and I certainly tried. But I made a promise I couldn’t keep. See, you deserve everything and there’s only so many hours in the day in which I can try. But I promise you I will try. I’m not great with speeches and even now I’m struggling to find the words that would even begin to describe what I feel for you. But know this: The love you deserve is infinite. Your smile, your laugh, your terrible taste in music play in a constant loop in my mind. Don’t roll your eyes while I’m being sappy. I know you are. _

Buck was.

_I promise to adore you. I promise to prove to you every day how tender of a treasure your heart is. I promise to cherish you and have your back and be the type of person you deserve._

_I love you._

_Eddie._

* * *

**+1**

Eddie’s car had been a dead giveaway.

But even with the tension of the surprise ruined, Buck was still stunned into frank clarity as he opened the door to his loft and found Eddie asleep on the couch next to a plate of chocolate covered strawberries.

And there it was. The why he'd been looking for. 

He loved Eddie Diaz.

Eddie Diaz loved him.

And the thing was… Buck never felt truly loved until he found what he had with Eddie. He knew he loved Abby. But this was different. Buck fell in easily with love. It’d been his only companion for so long that he didn’t even care that he was the only one who carried the love. And Abby cared for him but she never said it back and it took her showing up back in his life with a fiancé and a steel beam across his heart for him to realize that.

But Eddie? Eddie didn’t seem to meet a reason that told him Buck was unlovable that he couldn’t argue away. He just loved Buck without question.

It was enough. He was enough. Buck was enough.

Buck tiptoed into the kitchen to put down his flowers and bag before he crept into the living room and knelt beside the couch.

He watched him for a moment.

Eddie snored softly the way he always did when he slept on his back and from the looks of it, he’d been fighting a losing battle trying to stay up to wait for Buck. His face was soft and relaxed and all Buck wanted to do was to run the tip of his finger along every ridge, every crease, and every line until the map of his face was imprinted into Buck's fingerprint and he could carry it with him for the rest of his life.

But he also knew that that was the quickest way for him to lose a finger so he refrained.

Buck sat back on his hunches and blew a long breath on Eddie’s face until his nose scrunched up in adorable displeasure. Brown eyes squinted up at him and then blinked as he realized the angle of his head. When Eddie was on the safer side of consciousness, Buck leaned forward and pressed his forehead against Eddie’s.

Eddie hummed and curled a hand around the back of Buck’s neck, holding him close.

“Hey,” he said, his voice thick with sleep.

“Hey,” Buck said back.

He pressed a kiss against Eddie’s lips and stayed for another when Eddie insisted.

“I’m sorry I fell asleep.” Eddie sighed when they broke apart. “This was supposed to be a surprise.”

“It’s okay,” Buck said. “Happy Valentine’s Day.”

Surprise flashed across Eddie’s expression before the dopey eyed smile stretched across his face.

“Happy Valentine’s Day. It worked?”

Buck nodded.

“Considered me wooed.”


End file.
